WILLS FOR UAE EXPATS
Register a UAE will and safeguard your legacy.
Without a will, default UAE inheritance rules decide who receives what, and your family may wait months for access to accounts and property. A registered will means the court follows your instructions.
A will registered properly. Weeks, not months.
Willo guides UAE expats through drafting and registering a will — the right route, a fixed scope, and a timeline agreed up front.
WE DO THE WORK
Reviewed by a UAE-licensed law firm
Your will — reviewed and signed off by licensed lawyers before it reaches you.
No waiting around
Drafted and legally reviewed inside the same week.
No forms to fill in
We prepare everything, you review and approve.
THE RISKS OF NOT HAVING A REGISTERED UAE WILL
Without one, your estate follows the default rules rather than your instructions.
The law decides the shares
Your estate is distributed under a fixed legal formula, not according to your wishes.
Assets can be frozen
Bank accounts may be suspended while the estate is settled. Nothing gets released until a court says so.
The wait falls on your family
Months of court process, at the exact point when they're least able to handle it. The costs land on them too.
No guardian is named
Without a named guardian, a court decides who raises your children. It would have no record of who you'd have chosen.
A registered UAE will replaces all of this with your instructions. See what’s included
WHO THIS MATTERS FOR
Do you need a will right now? Answer four questions to find out.
None of the higher-stakes situations apply to you right now. If you hold assets in the UAE, a will may still be worth considering, and it becomes more important as your circumstances change.
REGISTRATION OPTIONS
Where your will can be registered — and what each route covers.
Three registries accept expat wills. Compare them for a single will or mirror wills.
Mirror wills are a matched pair for couples with reciprocal wishes.
| Coverage | ADJD Single Will | Dubai Courts Single Will | DIFC Single Will |
|---|---|---|---|
| For non-Muslims | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| For Muslims | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Covers assets located in all Emirates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Covers assets outside the UAE | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (can be included in the DIFC will) |
| Appointment of guardians | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Appointment of executors | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Issued in English and Arabic | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ (English only) |
| Government fee | AED 950 | Around AED 2,020 | AED 10,000 (Full Will) |
| Coverage | ADJD Mirror Wills | Dubai Courts Mirror Wills | DIFC Mirror Wills |
|---|---|---|---|
| For non-Muslims | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| For Muslims | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Covers assets located in all Emirates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Covers assets outside the UAE | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (can be included in the DIFC wills) |
| Appointment of guardians | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Appointment of executors | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Issued in English and Arabic | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ (English only) |
| Government fee | AED 1,900 | Around AED 4,040 | AED 15,000 (both registering at the same appointment — otherwise 10,000 each) |
We charge one fixed fee for our service, agreed before work begins. Government fees are separate and paid directly to the registry.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
One package. Everything covered.
Full transparency: One fixed fee, agreed before any work starts. Government registration fees are paid directly to the registry, never marked up through us.
Route recommendation
DIFC, ADJD or Dubai Courts — matched to your faith, family and assets, with the reasoning explained.
Drafting by independent UAE-qualified counsel
We brief external legal practitioners on your instructions and manage the drafting end to end.
Revisions until you approve
The draft is refined until it says exactly what you mean — no per-change charges.
Registry-compliant formatting
Prepared to the requirements of your chosen registry, including translation coordination where Arabic is needed.
Submission to your chosen registry
We prepare and manage the will submission process with you through the official portal and keep you updated until it is registered.
Your final will, delivered securely
A clean copy of the registered will for your records, with guidance on keeping it current.
BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION
Let's talk it through.
A quick call to walk you through how the process works before you start. We'll be in touch to arrange a time that works.
Thank you — we've got it.
We'll be in touch within one working day to arrange your consultation. If anything is urgent in the meantime, reply to our confirmation email.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Asked, answered.
I have a will back home. Doesn't that cover me?+
Often not for UAE assets. A foreign will can face translation, attestation and recognition hurdles here, and in the meantime default rules may be applied. A will registered in the UAE covers your assets here directly — and can sit alongside your home-country will.
I'm Muslim. Can I still register a will?+
Yes. The ADJD and Dubai Courts routes accept wills from Muslims, drafted in adherence with Sharia principles. The DIFC route is for non-Muslims only. We'll recommend the right path in your consultation.
What are single and mirror wills?+
A single will covers one person. Mirror wills are a matched pair for couples with reciprocal wishes — typically leaving the estate to each other, then to the same beneficiaries. Most couples choose mirror wills.
Do I need to live in the UAE to register one?+
No. Non-residents with UAE assets — a property, an account, company shares — can register too. DIFC registration can even be completed by video appointment.
What documents will I need?+
Typically passport copies and details for you, your beneficiaries, your executor and witnesses, plus asset details such as title deeds or account references. We give you a precise checklist for your route — gathering it is usually the quickest step.
Can I change my will later?+
Yes. Wills can be amended or re-registered as life changes — a new child, a property, a move. We'd suggest reviewing yours every few years or after any major event.